Marriage and Divorce Verifications

Verification letters are not considered legal substitutes for marriage licenses or divorce decrees. The Vital Statistics Unit strongly recommends that applicants ensure a verification will satisfy its intended use.

Certified copies of marriage licenses or divorce decrees are only available from the county clerk (marriage) or district clerk (divorce) in the county or district in which it was obtained.

The Vital Statistics Unit provides letters verifying if marriage or divorce was recorded with the State of Texas based on the application for marriage or divorce sent to our office by the county or district clerk. If no record of a marriage is found, the verification letter itself can be considered a "single-status letter," which some foreign countries accept as legal proof of single status.

Verification letters of marriage are available for marriages that occurred from 1966 to the present.

Verification letters of divorce/annulment are available for divorces that occurred from 1968 to the present.